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Taking pictures from wedding planning has been a blast but this will be about the only DIY project that I post BEFORE the wedding (Duh! I want there to be surprises for our guests!)

I have seen VERY many posts (Pinterest) that have done a DIY on dying glass jars but none of them have really EXPLAINED the whole process. They always end…”and it’s as simple as that” (or something along those lines). Well…..sometimes it’s really not that simple!!!

From planning to shopping, setting aside time, tips, and encouragement, this will be a step by step DETAILED process. Enjoy!

1) START COLLECTING JARS EARLY ON. One plus of a long engagement (there’s not many hahah) is that I had about a whole year of collecting. If you don’t have much time, let your family and bridal part know so they can help you. ***I started cooking a LOT of Italian meals with pasta that need sauce*** I collected 61 jars of all shapes and sizes (granted, I bought a dozen of actual Mason jars that were on sale from Walmart)

2) PLAN A CRAFT DAY WITH YOUR BRIDESMAIDS/FRIENDS/FAMILY. I did this way in advance (I actually have a private Facebook group with my bridal party/wedding coordinator) We all can communicate fast and there’s no miscommunication. We set and exact day and time dedicated to just crafts.

{I had to purchase these through AMAZON because The Michaels near me did not carry them}

– Plenty of old Rags that you are able to throw away afterwards

– Plastic Cup/Bowl for Dipping your rag

–STURDY Plastic Latex Gloves

–Something to Stir the paint (I used a plastic knife)

-Old Newspaper to cover whatever surface you will be using (unless you don’t care about it)

– Large Containers for Hot Water to place jars in (help get labels off)

– Stove and Pot and/or Teapot to boil Water

-Oven for Baking Jars

–CLEAN towels for drying jars after dishwasher

–Dishwasher for cleaning jars prior to dying

-Baking Sheet to place Jars on in Oven

-WD40 ($4) & Firm Scrubbing Brush to take off labels on jars

Knife for Scraping Labels

-S.O.S. Steel Wool Soap Pads to help scrub labels off

-Large Sheet or Towels For Drying and/or storing after dying

– 2 Folder Paper Signs Labeled “Baked” & “Unbaked” so you do not get your hard work misplaced

3) SOAK JARS IN BOILING WATER IN CONTAINERS. We are on a tight budget so buying mason jars or even pre-dyed mason jars were out of the question. Trust me, I did research and I think the people that do find good deals are just fortunate. Goodwill and Thrift stores were still overpriced for me. So, I did the extra work andincorporated getting what I needed for our wedding in my meal plan! 2 in 1 BAM! Woohoo!

You can set them in there the night before or early the morning you are choosing to start the process. Each label is very different and there is no 1 solution that works for all labels to come off. But soaking helped all my labels!

4) START SCRUBBING AND SCRAPING. After the jars had soaked, we sprayed WD40 on them and scrubbed using a firm brush and even those steel pads. Some were tougher than others. I kept the trash can close and a rag nearby to rub off what I had done. My brother had the fabulous idea of using a knife to scrape it off. With all 3 of these methods, we got our total 61 jars taken care of.

4) ONCE FINISHED, FILL UP THE DISHWASHER WITH ALL YOUR JARS TO REMOVE DIRT & FILM. Our dishwasher takes almost 2 hours so I had to incorporate an entirely different craft while this was taking place

8) THEN POUR THE THINNER. I ended up using twice as much thinner as the turquoise. Depending on what look you are going for, you can experiment. I thought this part would be the hardest to figure out, but because I was painting such a large amount of jars, I was always able to add more of what I needed. Out of 61 jars, I have plenty of variation/shades. This did not bother me since it will be a rustic casual wedding and perfection wasn’t the focus.

Then HORIZONTALLY rub the paint near the lip/top of the jar just to get the paint on the jar faster

Connect the 2 sections/angles of jar by rubbing THE WHOLE SURFACE of the jar vertically. If you take too long, it will create smudges (this will happen at first, so be patient with yourself, it’s OK)

Always use the same spot on your rag with the paint on it for during the wiping process. Smaller rags are best because they don’t hang/drag/get in the way of your work

If you mess up horribly (it happens haha), grab a paper napkin/paper towel or another rag, wet it and scrub/wipe off paint. It will come off pretty fast

Please note I did not paint the bottom & and you can’t really notice

You will ALWAYS be putting on more than you think you are. Less is more. If you are unsure, just place it right next to one of your clear jars

10) ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED ALL YOUR JARS, PLACE THEM ON OLD TOWELS/SHEETS AND LET THEM DRY FOR 24 HOURS PRIOR TO BAKING. (if you let them sit for longer than 24 hours, that’s totally fine. I had to wait until the next weekend until I had enough time set aside for baking)

11) HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO HAVE AN “UNBAKED” SIDE FOR JARS AND THEN A “BAKED” SIDE FOR JARS

11) ONCE THEY HAVE DRIED FOR 24 OR MORE HOURS, PLACE ALL THAT YOU CAN ON 1 BAKING SHEET IN THE OVEN {DO NOT PREHEAT} I placed them close together, but I made sure they were not touching.

12) CLOSE OVEN AND TURN ON 375 DEGREES F

13) LET BAKE FOR 40 MINUTES AND THEN TURN OFF OVEN

TIPS:

After I turned off the oven, I kept the door shut for 15 minutes.

Then, I left it open for 10 or so minutes

(THIS IS A PROCESS, I did this in between doing other little tasks at home)

AT this point, they were just warm, and so I placed them on the towel on the “baked” side

Any quick change in temperature will break the glass. Please set aside time so you can do this properly. It would be very sad to have all your hard work break because you were in a rush!

You made it. Hopefully this helps. My bridesmaids & and my Mom had a great time doing this together! Now that my jars are baked and waterproof, they are safely stored until Nathan and I’s big day arrives.

OUR GOAL: (AT LEAST SOMEWHERE ALONG THESE LINES)

PICTURE BELOW

I am going for a more simpler look than this. There will be 3 or 4 single creme/blush blooms in each jar for our wedding instead.With of course, doilies underneath.

I won’t share the type of flowers, you will just have to wait for that 🙂